Paperwork
by Jetblack595
Summary: "It started with paperwork..." The day they met Kevin Lynch, none of them ever thought they'd hate him this much. But what he'd done... What he was still doing, was something that not one member of the team could forgive. This story is centred around an incredibly abusive relationship so just a quick warning. Also, don't read this if you're uncomfortable with an anti-Kevin story)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! Once again, taking a break from my other stories to post this quick little story that popped into my head. It'll probably only be about 2-3 chapters long, but then again, it's me, so it'll probably end up being a novel that I don't even finish :P I don't really know how to put trigger warnings on here, but this story WILL include a** ** _lot_** **of mentions of a physically and mentally abusive relationship, so please don't read this if it's going to trigger anything or upset you. This is also only one representation of what an abusive relationship looks like, and I am definitely not saying that this is what they're all like, or how they all appear.**

 **OK :)) And of course, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters blah blah blah**

Paperwork.

 _It started with paperwork._

It was quiet. A dusty gloom had settled in the office, as it so often seemed to do after a long case. Hotch sighed slightly as he lingered in the doorway for a moment, gazing out over the bullpen. The team had long since dispersed, and all that remained were the few late night stragglers who were beginning to yawn and glance down at their watches. Within the next ten minutes, Hotch knew, glancing down at his own watch, they would begin to filter out, to bars, to pubs, or to their beds. Probably the latter, Hotch decided, as it was a Wednesday night (or was it a Thursday morning?). No matter, because within the next ten minutes he knew he would more or less have the office to himself. Resigning himself to his fate, as per usual, Hotch slapped the files down on his desk and settled into his chair. Paperwork was a lonely affair, but in all honesty, he wouldn't wish it on any of the other members of the team – except maybe Reid. He'd probably enjoy it. In fact, why _didn't_ they get Reid to do all their paperwork? It'd get done much faster.

Hotch chuckled a little at this thought. He supposed the kid must have a life – even if it didn't match the mould of typical 28 year-olds. Picking up a pen, Hotch began to grow accustomed to the silence that surrounded him. He heard the doors to the bullpen close, and, just as he had predicted, he realised he had the office to himself.

It'd been a bad one. They all were, probably, but anything with kids… The unsub had been killing kids and dumping them at the steps of their parents' workplaces. Before they'd been called in, three kids had already been murdered. Later, the team had figured out that the unsub wasn't killing kids for the pleasure of the kill, but rather so that they could watch the parents unravel. Their search had eventually led them to Donnie Richards, who'd been ignored by his own mother following the death of his little brother. That explained why he'd only been killing only children…

Hotch hated dwelling on cases, but that was the point of paperwork. It wouldn't let him forget, not until it was done. Better to get it done early, he thought, and purge the memory from his mind. Leaning back, Hotch pulled a file from the ever-growing heap on his desk. Strauss was away, and the pile-up was larger than ever.

Just as he'd signed off the first document and swiped it to the side, Hotch heard a noise. Hypersensitive as he was to noises after he knew the office was empty, something made Hotch look up. It sounded as though someone else was here. He glanced down at his watch; slightly panicked, thinking that maybe he'd dozed off somewhere in the middle of the first form, and it was actually morning. It wasn't, but there was definitely someone in the bullpen… He was about to get up, or call out, when Garcia appeared in the doorway, jumping slightly as though she hadn't expected him to be sitting there.

"Garcia?" Hotch said hazily, confusion swamping him. "It's one in the morning. What are you doing?"

The analyst looked strange – almost afraid, and incredibly hesitant to reply. "I-I just thought that maybe you might need a hand y-you know with the paperwork or something… I feel bad that you always do it all alone and I thought you could want some company o-or…"

Hotch put a hand up to stop the young agent from babbling. He could tell that there was something wrong. Ghosts of tear tracks in her normally expertly applied make-up could be seen, running down her cheeks, and there was something else… Something about the way she was talking and moving wasn't right. Everyone knew Garcia for her confidence, and Hotch even admired her for it… But the Garcia sitting in front of him was a mere shadow of the one he spoke to every day, and though the thought terrified him, it was clear that whatever was bothering Garcia was something she didn't want to share.

Deciding to take a risk, Hotch pressed the matter slightly, hoping she might open up, so he could help her. "What about Kevin? I'm sure he's expecting you home."

There was no disguising the shadow that fell across the woman's face at that. The look in her eyes was so far from anything Hotch would ever dream of seeing, especially in _her_ eyes. The team knew she was vulnerable – the incident with Jason Clarke Battle had told them that a hundred times over – but this was a different kind of fear entirely… Hotch couldn't place it. It was just… Wrong.

Garcia and the Internal Affairs analyst had been openly dating for just over 6 months now, and the two had recently moved in together. As far as Hotch knew, things had been going well with the two of them, though he tended not to pry too far into his team's personal lives, he'd heard snippets, and it was hard to ignore Garcia when she was excited about something – the way she'd appeared to be about the move in. Was there something he'd missed?

After the look he'd seen in Garcia's eyes, Hotch made a decision not to press the matter any further. He waved his hand, inviting her to sit down, without demanding an answer to his previous question. She all but collapsed into the chair, and Hotch saw her hands almost shaking with relief.

Over the next few weeks, she'd come in after a case. After a while, there didn't need to be any discussion, she'd just come in and sit down like it was a normal thing. Sometimes they'd chat, about work or goings on, but often they'd sit in a mutual and comfortable silence, which Hotch didn't mind at all. One particular time, she came in looking almost entirely distraught, and proceeded to babble about panda bears for an hour and a half, while Hotch listened in amused silence, adding to the conversation here and there. Anything to keep her happy, and distract her mind from what Hotch was slowly piecing together. He'd suspected from the start that it was something to do with Kevin, but at the time he'd thought (and hoped) it was only a fight or a rough patch in their relationship, but as time went on, Hotch had to admit he'd been kidding himself. No small, domestic quarrel could cause the fear he'd seen in the young analyst's eyes on the first day she'd approached him, and through small snippets of conversation and an overall hunch, Hotch had developed a theory that he wanted nothing more than to disprove. The thought of it was horrific, but a sickening feeling in his gut told him that it was true, no matter how badly he didn't want it to be.

So, one night, after a particularly gruelling case, Hotch set down his pen and looked Garcia in the eyes. They were mildly bloodshot and there was darkness in them that broke Hotch's heart, but he held his gaze as he said in a low voice:

"Garcia… Have you talked to Morgan or anyone else on the team about what's been going on…?"

She didn't look confused, and though she tried to act it as best she could, a thick cloud of fear and shock masked any attempt. Hotch felt a twang of regret, but he knew he had to say something – for her sake.

"I…" Garcia's voice seemed to be as quiet as a human voice could possibly go, and she looked as though she was trying to decide whether or not to keep talking. "I just don't want them to worry about anything… Really, I'm fine I've just been really tired and Kevin and I are going through a rough patch that's all…" She ended the sentence with a shaky smile, which, contrary to making Hotch less worried, only solidified what he thought he knew.

"A rough patch?" he asked carefully.

"Yeah, you know… Two people living together can be stressful, but we make it work." Before Hotch could continue she yawned and looked at the clock.

"Well, it's late, I'd better go. Catch you bright and early tomorrow bossman." She said, with a hint of her usual cheeriness, before breezing out of the room, without another word. Hotch sighed. It _was_ late, later than he'd usually finish his paperwork. The clock on the wall read 2:13am as Hotch turned the lock on his office door, and headed out towards the car park, still thinking about Garcia. The behaviours were textbook. The profiler in him couldn't deny it any longer. The signs he'd been trying to ignore for the past two weeks all added up, and he realised with a horrifying finality that Penelope Garcia, the woman who constantly made the team laugh and smile in the darkness of their job, was in an abusive relationship.

The next day, Garcia didn't come to his door. They hadn't had a case, but recently that hadn't stopped her. It seemed as though she'd do anything to avoid going home. In fact, Hotch didn't recall seeing her around the office at all today. It wasn't entirely unusual, sometimes she'd stay in her lair all day, because that's the only place she could work, or she'd even work from home, if they didn't have a case to work, but Hotch had a bad feeling. Just as he was trying to decide whether he was going to check her lair or just go home, he saw Morgan and Prentiss walking together towards the door. "Emily! Morgan!" he called, stopping them in their tracks. They both turned to look at him, as he rushed down the steps into the bullpen.

"C'mon Hotch, don't tell me we have a case now," Morgan groaned, while Emily began to complain: "I was having such a nice day..." Both agents seemed to angle their bodies towards the round table room, as though resigning themselves to their fate. Hotch shook his head, lowering his voice as he looked around. "Listen, have either of you seen Garcia today?"

Emily shook her head, but Morgan looked slightly uneasy.

"What?" Hotch demanded.

"Yeah, I saw her, only for a second. She's been cooped up in there all day." He said, pointing towards the door. Something about his tone of voice suggested he'd noticed the same thing Hotch had. Especially when he said, through slightly gritted teeth, "Kevin came in and brought her lunch though."

Looking confused, Prentiss shot them both a questioning look. Hotch glanced around. He didn't know whom he thought would hear – the bullpen was almost empty, but somehow he didn't want to discuss it so out in the open. Eventually, he led them into the round table room – where Reid and Rossi were bent over some old files – and closed the door behind him. Beckoning to the two older agents, Hotch gathered the team in a small, tight huddle, and began to talk in a very low voice. The entire time he was speaking, about the paperwork, about the look in Garcia's eyes, he felt guilt like an iron anvil in the pit of his stomach, slowing his words down so much that he had to force each one. He kept reminding himself of what happened with Reid after his encounter with Hankel.

 _'_ _Reid handled it on his own'_ he argued to himself, while his voice monotonously recounted everything that had happened over the past month or so. _'Yeah, but the kid was affected so drastically… I swore I'd never do that again… And these are entirely different circumstances. I mean sure, that was a matter of pride but this… What makes you think Garcia can handle this? It's one thing to destroy yourself and regain control, but when there's someone else who holds control over you… That problem is a lot harder to face, especially on your own. Garcia needs us.'_

"Garcia needs us." Hotch finished, repeating the thought that had just finalised itself in his head. The team nodded solemnly. Morgan's fists were clenched so tight his knuckles were blotched with patches of white and blue and red, and his eyes reflected a dark and twisted hatred that Hotch recognised immediately. It was hatred toward Kevin, and it was the same hatred that had been brewing inside his own chest since the night that Garcia first walked into his office. Hotch was about to say something else, when the door to the round table room opened. Five heads whipped around to stare at whoever had entered, and five pairs of eyes had fires inside them, burning white-hot with rage, as Kevin Lynch walked lazily through the door. Hotch put his hand on Morgan's arm, and this gesture was possibly the only thing preventing the agent from snapping Kevin Lynch's neck right there on the spot. In fact, Hotch was only half doing this for Morgan's sake. Having something to control also meant that he himself could suppress the urge to run forward. Prentiss, practically spitting at the analyst, glared him down.

"What do you want?" she demanded, "you're not allowed in here without express permission from a BAU agent, which I, nor I'm sure any of my colleagues, don't recall giving you."

Kevin put his hands up, in an arrogant gesture of mock surrender and laughed. "Calm down, Em. Penelope said I could come in, I need to check some wiring and stuff." He gave an irritating, breathy laugh, and shot Prentiss an almost flirtatious half-smile.

 _'_ _Bastard.'_ Hotch thought, clenching his fists. Almost subconsciously, he removed his hand from Morgan's arm. ' _Let him._ ' He thought, his anger welling up inside. _'In fact, do it yourself. The cocky son of a bitch deserves every single punch that could be landed on him. And he knows it.'_ The image of Garcia standing in his office doorway, almost quivering with fear, burned in front of his eyes. Unaware of all the hateful glares being shot his way, Kevin went about his business, fiddling with the wires and humming a tune to himself. With a quick glance at the rest of the team, Hotch hurried out of the room, indicating that they would continue the conversation later.

 **THANKS FOR PUTTING UP WITH ME SO FAR**

 **Like I said, I'm intending to keep this story short, so expect only a couple more chapters before it's finished. And, if you're following any of my other stories, a quick heads up that I'm going to be updating 'Trapped' very** ** _very_** **soon so make sure you all check it out!**

 **Thanks for reading my dears xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! I'm updating! And it hasn't been two months! What? Yes, like I said I'm trying a lot harder with my updates and whatnot, and I've been working on this chapter for a wee while. Like I said in the previous chapter, I didn't expect this to be very long, but as I was writing I came up with something, so be prepared for a couple more chapters than you expected! I hope that's exciting, and not just "oh god, we have to put up with this for HOW many more chapters?"**

 **Anyway, I think this is a pretty emotional chapter, but I hope you enjoy it anyway xxxx**

The next day, the unthinkable happened. They had a case, finally, after a short dry spell, and everybody had gathered into the round table room to be briefed. Only, the remote sat abandoned on the table, and Garcia was nowhere to be seen. Hotch and the rest of the team exchanged incredibly concerned glances, and Morgan clenched his fist tightly.

"We don't need to think much of it," Hotch assured them all, "everyone's late sometimes. Garcia would know that more than anybody."

His attempt to be light had fallen flat, and the mood around the room remained dark and sombre, like they were all waiting for bad news that they knew would inevitably come. Instead, Hotch directed the team's attention to the case. Without Garcia's computer hooked up to the monitors, they had to address the paper files, but nobody complained. Their case seemed fairly straightforward – for something that they'd been consulted on anyway. Their unsub was a strangler. Though normally this was sexual, Emily pointed out that the bruising wasn't dark – as though the strangling itself had only been a means to an end.

"If it was the regular sexual sadist," she remarked, "don't you think he'd take more care in what he was doing?"

It was almost twenty minutes later when Garcia finally stumbled through the door. She all but sprinted to her station to plug in her laptop, looking notably flustered, and not even glancing at the team, while she bumbled out apology after apology.

"I'm so so so so SO sorry I'm late sir," she said, addressing Hotch without turning to face him – still busying herself with the laptop cords. "The t-traffic was terrible and, and… And then my car broke down and there was t-trouble at the bank and…"

Hotch felt his heart drop. You didn't need to be a profiler to tell that she was lying. The rest of the team looked equally concerned, trying not to focus too hard on their flustered friend. She was visibly shaking, and her hands kept slipping on the cords.

"Here," Hotch said, standing up, "let me help you –"

"No- sir, it's perfectly fine I…"

Her rambling was cut short as Hotch caught sight of her face. He couldn't help but exclaim in utter anger as he was faced with the sight of his happy-go-lucky, innocent friend completely terrified and covered in fresh bruises. Without a word, he whirled around and marched towards the door. He wasn't entirely sure what he was planning to do. He knew what he _wanted_ to do. He wanted to take Morgan and track down Kevin, and make him realise what real bruises looked like – and why people _actually_ deserved them.

However, once he reached the door, all he did was call out.

"Agent Anderson? Can you tell Strauss the team can't work this case?" He paused for a moment, while Anderson replied. The rest of the team watched in shock. All eyes had been on Hotch, but as he paused, they had begun to drift back to Garcia. From behind him, Hotch could hear the collective reaction to the sight that met them.

"Urgent personal matter. She doesn't need to know anything else. Tell her I'll talk to her soon. Thank you… Oh- and Anderson! Make sure we aren't disturbed!"

After the agent walked away, Hotch swung the door shut, trying his best not to slam it, and failing anyway.

"Sit down Garcia." He said, speaking calmly all of a sudden. The last thing she needed was another angry voice.

"S-sir, you really didn't need…" The analyst's breathing was heavy, and her eyes were darting around the room. Hotch felt his chest tighten. She was terrified. _That man_ had made her terrified in her own workplace. "I'm fine, r-really, this is actually the reason I was late, I-I fell down some stairs and then…"

It was a pathetic excuse. She knew it, and the team knew it. Before she could go any further, JJ broke down into tears, leaping from her seat and running to her friend, to envelope her in the biggest hug she could muster. Emily followed suit, then Morgan, shaking with rage he was barely suppressing, walked up and stood behind her, with his hands on her shoulders, squeezing tightly.

Soon, the whole team, including Rossi, Reid and Hotch, were surrounding Garcia, in a tight, protective circle. It didn't last long, and after a few seconds of silent and reassuring comfort, they began to dissipate so they were sitting in a semi circle around the analyst. All except Morgan, who sat right next to her, gripping her hand, tightly, as though he never wanted to let go again.

Hotch sat directly in front of her, looking her directly in the eye. Every time he saw her face it made him wanted to scream in anguish. Her cheeks and forehead were patched with sections of blue and purple, and along her neck were lighter markings – brown and yellow. Reid shuddered as he stared at her neck – something was wrong with it… The markings seemed too familiar…

"Garcia…" Hotch said softly, "what really happened?"

The analyst drew a shaky breath and then shook her head violently as tears began to stream down her face.

"Baby girl, come on, we're family here. You need to tell us, Garcia, come on." Morgan coaxed, stroking her hair as she tried to quell the tears that flowed from her eyes.

There was what seemed like an hour long pause, the silence only broken by Garcia's sniffling, and then, in a voice that was only just audible, she whispered:

"He… He normally doesn't… H-hit my face."

Rossi growled, slamming his fist down on the bench. Emily hissed slightly, she and JJ instinctively moving forward towards their friend. Morgan moaned audibly, squeezing Garcia's hand even tighter as tears began to roll down his own cheeks. He wiped them away angrily, looking at Hotch, as though he was pleading with him.

Only Reid and Hotch stayed silent.

Hotch, because he couldn't speak without screaming or howling in anger.

Reid, because he was thinking…

"Listen to me Garcia," Hotch said finally, "he's going to jail. I can tell you that right now. There's no way in the world we're going to let that bastard hurt you again, do you understand me?"

"NO," Garcia exclaimed, shocking them all, "I mean… Yes, sir, I'm sorry it's just…" She broke off with a heavy sob, before continuing, "h-he won't go to jail. He said there was no way anyone would believe me, and if they did… I-If they did, he'd be l-long gone before they came for him… That's what he- what he used to say to me when…"

As she trailed off, Hotch bowed his head to the ground, to hide the tears welling in his eyes. He had to stay strong for her, and for the rest of the team, but… He could finish that sentence for her, but he didn't want to.

 _'_ _When she had the phone in her hand,'_ he thought _, 'when she was going to call the police. Call us.'_

"There's nothing y-you can do. I'm the only evidence you have and… He can be charming… This isn't going to be any different… T-two months and he'll be out and he'll come for m-me and I-"

"No." Reid said, all of a sudden speaking up.

"No, he's going to prison. For a long time. Forever."

"Reid," Hotch said quietly, turning to his youngest agent, "I understand the sentiment, but you have to understand we can't possibly promise her that-"

"No, Hotch, you don't understand," The young agent insisted. "He's not just going to prison for this. He's going to prison for murder."

 **! I literally came up with that plot twist while I was writing this chapter, so please don't hate me if it's a little weak/inconsistent with the rest of the story. I don't know if you can tell, but I've been trying my absolute hardest to make this more Morcia-centric, as it would be in the actual show, if this were to happen. And don't get me wrong, I ship Morcia more than anything, I just always seem to write from Hotch's perspective, and it's so hard to incorporate ahhhh! Anyway, please let me know what you liked/didn't like in the reviews, or just leave a message of support, because I love hearing from y'all, and your reviews are the one of the only reasons I keep writing 3**

 **Love you all so much (and don't forget to check out my other stories while you're waiting for this one to update, because I'm about to go write chapters for them to upload tomorrow!) and it's 12am and I need to sleep. HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS MY LOVELIES XXXX**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey hey! Whipped up this lil chapter for you guys! As you can see, I'm trying super hard to be active! Thank you all for your positive reviews, I love you so much xxx**

 **HOPE YOU ENJOY! xx**

Hotch sat, confused for a moment, before standing up and nodding to Reid, indicating that he should do the same. One glance at Morgan, Rossi and the women told him that they had the situation under control, and whatever Reid had to say, Hotch felt the need to hear it before Garcia did.

Reid followed his boss out of the room, and toward his office, where Hotch, for only the second or third time since Reid had worked for the BAU, closed the blinds. As soon as the door was shut, Reid launched into an explanation, without waiting for Hotch to say anything.

"Listen, everyone was really caught up looking at the- the bruises on Garcia's face…" he swallowed slightly. It was clear that it was difficult for him to say those words – Hotch understood. Saying it made it official. Made it real.

Reid cleared his throat, slightly awkwardly, but Hotch gave him a slight nod. Taking a deep breath, he continued.

"Well, I couldn't help but notice… Her neck… Had markings too. And they seemed so familiar, so I thought about it and, well, the first thing that came to mind was the Choking Game case we worked way back – you know, when the teenagers were hanging themselves?"

Hotch nodded, his eyes darkening. That was a difficult case for all of them, specifically Garcia, in fact.

"Well, of course, I didn't think Garcia would be hanging herself repeatedly, so, and given the current evidence, there's one possible explanation-"

"He's strangling her." Hotch said, sounding completely and utterly repulsed.

"Yeah, but… That's not all… The case we just got, it's local, right?"

Reid saw Hotch's eyes widen in realisation. He was almost smiling, which Reid could understand. This was going to put him away for good. Kevin fucking Lynch was going to get what was coming to him. And more.

Meanwhile, back in the round table room, Emily, JJ, Morgan and Rossi were working hard to get as much information out of their friend as possible. Rossi had made sure he was still comfortably close to her, however he had since withdrawn his arms, and was now slowly and subtly recording everything in a small notebook.

"How long has this been going on?" Morgan asked Garcia softly, stroking her hair.

She sniffled slightly, still speaking in an incredibly reticent tone. "Ab-about three months."

Morgan inhaled slowly. They had been dating for six. He'd been hurting her for half of their relationship.

"How often?" asked JJ, giving Morgan a warning look.

Garcia started to shudder. "O-only when we fought… I just… I can be so stubborn and frustrating and… I make him angry… It's not his fault if he lashes out, you know. I-I always provoked him. T-There was always a reason."

This sent the team reeling. Emily's hands flew to her face as she moved forward instinctively.

"No, no, no, no, no," she said slowly, wrapping her friend in her arms.

JJ and Rossi looked to Morgan, but the man's face was almost emotionless. His eyes seemed to have completely withdrawn into his skull, leaving only blank, empty windows. The agent was shivering slightly, and his jaw was set in a permanent line.

"Garcia. NONE of this was your fault. Okay?" Rossi promised. "Not a single thing that happened to you, not a single thing _he_ did to you, was warranted. He's abusive. It's in his nature. He _gets off_ on hitting you. He's a fucking _psychopath._ "

Rossi knew that he wasn't using psychopath in the right sense, but the level of sadism that a person would require to do this to someone so pure… And then make her think that it was _her fault._

The anger overwhelmed him, and _psychopath_ was the lowest of the low. The darkest, most horrible thing he could think to call someone – and someone whom he'd had in his home… Cooked for… Actually kind of _liked…_

Morgan stayed silent. Garcia's words echoed around his brain. That bastard made her feel responsible… Made her feel like she'd done something wrong… She must have been so afraid, and she hadn't said a word. Not to him. Not to anyone. Hurt, angry and terrified, Morgan withdrew inside himself, trying his hardest to process the events of the morning. Kevin must have snapped today. Decided that maybe below the neck just wasn't good enough for him. Wasn't _public_ enough…

Morgan's heart dropped. He remembered the tense encounter with the IA agent the day before… Could that have been the trigger? Forcing himself to turn his head, Morgan took in the extent of what Kevin had done to Garcia- his best friend… Could this have been because of him?

He shook the thought out of his head. No point blaming himself now. The only thing that mattered was Garcia. The only person to be blamed was Kevin Lynch. And those were the facts.

"Baby girl," Morgan said, swiping the tears from under her eyes. "Don't you _dare_ think for a second that you did anything to deserve this, okay?"

She turned her head, sobbing into his shirt.

"Shhhh," Morgan hummed quietly, rubbing her back, "It's okay, I'm here, we're all here baby, and nobody's gonna hurt you."

The team lapsed into silence as Reid and Hotch re-entered the round table room, taking their places once again.

"Penelope…" Hotch said slowly. The analyst looked up, sniffling. Hotch never used her first name – they were friends, but still, he was too professional, it was ingrained in him. Then again, nothing about this was a regular or professional situation.

"I have some news that… May be disturbing. Just remember, it's only speculation at this point but… Reid noticed similarities and well, I think he may be on to something. Do you think you'll be up to hearing this?"

She nodded, swallowing and staring up at her boss. He was amazed, and astounded, by the confidence that suddenly sparked into her eyes. It was a relieving and mobilising glimpse into the old Garcia's eyes. The one who was happy, and bubbly and brave. So, so brave.

She kept her gaze forward, looking into Hotch's eyes, as he retold the story, adding in details, and explained the similarities between the cases.

"So… Is it true?" Reid asked, as hesitantly as he could, "Penelope… Did Kevin ever strangle you?"

Garcia bowed her head, breaking her gaze with Hotch at last. Then, slowly, she nodded, looking almost ashamed.

"When I was r-really-" she broke off, looking at Rossi and Morgan, and then corrected herself. "When _he_ was really angry, h-he'd pin me down, and strangle me until I c-couldn't breath and- and-" she started hyperventilating, and JJ clasped her hand tightly.

"Garcia, it's okay. You're okay now," she said softly. Though the men of the team were all kind and caring toward her, especially Morgan, there was something about JJ and Emily, her best friends, who made Garcia feel so comfortable… She managed a half smile in JJ's direction, before Rossi pulled out his notebook.

"Normally, this is where we'd interview you properly – you know, cognitive interviews, and get the details, but…"

Hotch looked unconvinced. He wanted this guy caught, and he knew Garcia's statement was crucial for that.

"Aaron…" Rossi pleaded, looking at the tear stained, shaking analyst.

He was right. Hotch could never put her through that. If they ever did cognitive interview her, it wouldn't be while she was like this.

"Let's go over this case, then," Hotch said, touching Garcia's shoulder lately. "We'll pretend we're working it like any other case. Kevin can't know we're on to him."

"What about Garcia? She can't go home to him." Emily said.

"She can stay at my place," Morgan said, almost immediately. "We'll make up some bullshit excuse about a surveillance project or something…"

Hotch nodded, flipping open a case file.

"Okay, so let's start with basic-"

He never got to finish his sentence. Before he could end it, the door of the round table room swung open, and for the second time in two days, in strutted Internal Affairs analyst Kevin Lynch.

Morgan had enough time to breathe in a gasp of shock. Then, his vision went red.

 **That's it for now! PLEASE don't forget to review, I love hearing from all of you, and hearing what you want/don't want out of the story. It helps me stay motivated, as well as gives me ideas! As per the request of previous reviews, I tried super hard to put way more Morcia into this chapter, so please don't hesitate to tell me what sort of things you'd like to see in the story.**

 **Also, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check out my other stories as well! They're both Criminal Minds fics, and I'm trying to update them just as often! I'm planning to add another chapter to Shaken within the next couple days, and a couple days after I'll add another Trapped Minds (I'm already half finished it so yay!)**

 **As always, I love you all so much, and I live to make you happy, so don't forget to review and tell me how I can! x**

 **Until the next time xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! I'm on a roll today! I've written another 2 chapters of this story, I'm just planning to space them out a bit (to keep the suspense up of course hehe), but here's the first of three! I'm really excited for where I'm going to take the story, and I hope you are too! There's a slight language warning in this one, so I'm sorry if any of you get offended by that, it was just so hard to write without getting super passionate and wanting to make the characters equally as passionate!**

 **I've also written chapters for 'Shaken' and 'Trapped Minds', so if you want to, you should totally check them out, I'm gonna upload them a lil later :)**

Hotch only had a second to move. He leaped towards Morgan, throwing his full force against him as the agent lunged for Kevin. As he struggled to subdue the agent, Hotch could feel something snap inside him. All he wanted was to see Morgan give Kevin Lynch what he deserved. Over Morgan's shoulder, he could see Garcia – absolutely paralysed in fear. He could've sworn his grip went slack, just for a moment, and then he was struggling against the agent once more. He couldn't give in, no matter how much he hated Kevin Lynch. They would do it right. If he let go of Morgan now, Kevin would walk.

"Let me… Go… Hotch, come on, and let me at that BASTARD. LET ME GO!" Morgan half growled, pushing as hard as he could against his boss. Hotch spoke quickly and quietly, knowing that the stronger agent's force would soon outweigh his own.

"Morgan, you shouldn't do this. I know you want to. Trust me, I _know,_ but you can't. Not if you want her to ever feel safe again. Not if you want him gone for good."

Much to Hotch's relief, he felt the agent relax.

Meanwhile, Rossi, Emily and JJ had joined forces in front of Garcia, shielding her from Kevin. Reid had started forward, possibly to help Hotch with Morgan, possibly to confront the analyst. The young agent was almost shaking with anger at the sight of him, and his hand had moved toward his gun – an instinct that was uncommon for Reid, compared to the rest of the team, as he was always less comfortable than them when drawing his gun. However, Reid would have no objections to pulling his gun out right then and there and shooting the smug bastard right between the eyes.

All of this had happened within the space of a minute, and Kevin stood in the doorway, looking entirely terrified. He threw up his hands, shaking his head slightly.

"Woah, Morgan, buddy, you okay?" he asked, taking a step forward. Morgan gave an animal-like snarl, and Hotch stepped towards him, holding his hand up.

"Back off." He said coldly, glaring directly into the analyst's face. Kevin looked around, still acting confused. Then, as his eyes landed on Garcia, still cowering behind Rossi and the women, his face changed.

It was the most disgusting, contorted expression Hotch had ever seen on the face of another man. His mouth rose in an angry sneer and his jaw became set in a straight line. He shot the shaking Garcia the blackest look a person could give another person, full of threats and promises that Hotch never intended to let him keep. But his eyes were the worst part… they had hardened, in anger, in fear and in defiance. And there was darkness in them… A darkness, which, had Hotch seen it on the face of any regular unsub, would have made sure that anyone who interrogated him went in pairs. This was a darkness which, a week ago, would have been foreign and almost grotesque-looking in the eyes of Kevin Lynch – the dorky technical analyst, who's worst quality had been that he was possibly a little too clingy, but now, Hotch welcomed it. The sick glint in his eyes mirrored the sickly nature of his soul. Hotch only wished he'd been able to see that soul sooner…

Kevin glared at Garcia, whose tears began to flow more freely, at the sight of her ex-boyfriend's evil expression. Rossi had his hand on her shoulder, and his grip was so tight you could almost see his nails digging through her clothes, but she welcomed it. It was a promise – a reassurance, that no matter how close he might seem, there was no way he was getting any closer.

"Hey man," Kevin said, still looking at Morgan, who was breathing slightly more heavily, and attempting to hold himself back, "I don't know what you think is going on but-"

"What I think is going on-" Morgan started, backing up slightly, like a cat getting ready to pounce, "is you… You FUCKING bastard… You had the _audacity_ to lay a hand on the purest, sweetest, most perfect thing that could ever walk into your life… And then you did it _more than once._ What'd you do Kevin? Did you enjoy it? What, how was she different from the others? Huh? Was she a bit more your type? Did you wanna keep her around? Keep a good thing going? _HUH?"_

Morgan stepped forward with clenched fists, and Hotch shot him a warning look, while Kevin began to blabber in his defence, watching Garcia the entire time.

"Others? I have no idea what you mean by others. Listen, it was only one time – this one time…"

"Bullshit," Emily spat, from where she stood in front of Garcia, "that's bullshit, Lynch, and you know it."

Kevin turned to her, looking affronted. Then, his face contorted again, and he took a step back.

"Alright, you can all listen to me. God, do you even hear yourselves? How much do you really know about the so-called 'perfect' woman you work with? Because let me tell you, she's not all you think she is. You have _no idea_ what I've had to deal with over the past few months… Jesus, if you'd had to live with her, you'd have hit her too."

"SHUT THE _HELL_ UP." Morgan screamed, unable to conjure up anything more intelligible amidst his cloud of rage. Reid's face went dark, as he took a step towards Kevin.

"You have no idea what you're talking about. Whatever sick delusion you have, it's inside your own head. It's _your_ fault."

"And don't you dare make it seem like it was anyone else's." JJ added, and a poisonous anger filled each one of her words. "Especially not Garcia's. You'd be lucky if you were ever _half_ as good a person as she is. And you _fucking_ know it."

And then, just as Hotch began to hear the ghosts of high-heeled footsteps making their way up the stairs from the bullpen, probably responding to Morgan's loud outburst, Kevin Lynch did the last thing that any of them could have expected. He threw his head back and laughed.

The team stared at the laughing man with complete and utter disgust. He was no longer hiding – here was Kevin Lynch, standing before the team, with all defences, lies and acts aside. And he was laughing about the fact that he'd ruined Garcia's life. And he was in that moment, without a doubt, the worst person any of them had ever encountered.

Hotch nodded to Reid, who was obviously also beginning to notice the signature footsteps that were making a beeline for the round table room. The younger agent needed no more of a prompt, as he ripped his handcuffs from his belt and marched towards the analyst, grabbing him – none too gently – by the arms and locking the cuffs around his wrists.

"Kevin Lynch," Hotch said, revelling in the normally tedious task of reading the bastard his rights, "you're under arrest for assault of a federal employee…" _and as many other charges as we can make stick,_ Hotch thought, but he didn't say it. Because at that moment, FBI Section Chief Erin Strauss burst into the room, hair flying at all angles, and high heels clicking rapidly.

"What the hell is going on here?" She demanded. Her eyes had skimmed around the room upon her entry – from Morgan, clenching and unclenching his fists, to Garcia, still protected by JJ, Emily and David, and finally to Kevin, who was maintaining a slow, haunting laugh as Reid tightened the handcuffs.

"Ma'am," Hotch said slowly, glancing at Garcia and then taking a step forward, "can I speak to you outside?"

"You'd better start explaining quickly, Aaron," she warned, turning and heading for the door again. Hotch followed, turning back for the second time to make sure Garcia was okay. Before the door closed, Hotch looked at Reid, as if to say ' _keep him the fuck away from her.'_ Reid nodded at him, and yanked the man even further toward the corner, and away from the analyst.

When he and Strauss were finally alone, Hotch explained the situation, slowly watching the angry expression on her face turn from one of anger into one of horror – and a different anger entirely.

"Listen, we think we might have a case. I know, you probably think it's our personal attachment but… If it were any other case, a possible live victim would be a major break. And I'm willing to bet that if you set any other team onto this, you're not going to get anything out of Garcia."

Strauss sighed, and Hotch could tell what she was thinking. Sure, Garcia's personal situation was unfathomably horrible, but this was, as it always seemed to be with this team, a bureaucratic nightmare.

"Please, ma'am, all I ask is that you keep us on this case. We'll be able to treat it like any other case, but let us go hard at Kevin Lynch, based on evidence that is right in front of us."

Strauss rubbed the crease between her eyes, sighing heavily.

"Don't make me regret this Aaron."

Hotch almost crumped with relief, before returning to his usual, professional manner, nodding curtly and saying "we won't ma'am."

Half the bureau turned to watch, as Kevin Lynch was marched out of the round table room, and toward an interrogation room. The shocked faces of many of his co-workers reminded Hotch of Lynch's deception. How did he have all of them fooled for so long? How had none of them been able to tell?

 **That's it for now! But like I said, I have a couple more chapters lined up, and I have a pretty clear vision of where I'm taking this story. So if you're upset about something that has/hasn't happened in this story yet, please let me know in the reviews, as I want it to be as good as possible for you! For example, I know I'm making Garcia into more of a victim than she actually would be, but let's just say it's not gonna stay that way (and also, for those people hoping that Morgan is gonna beat the shit out of Kevin, you're just gonna have to wait and see hehehe)**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, and, as always, please please please review, because I LOVE hearing what you all think! And, while you're waiting for new chapters, I'm gonna remind you once again to check out my other stories, because I'm uploading chapters for both very soon!**

 **(P.S. I had a bit of trouble uploading this chapter because it kept going into some random code, so I hope it's okay now)**


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